There are two types of falconers in this world; those that love Harris Hawks, and those that don’t.

If everyoneloved the same things, if everyone agreed on everything and thought the samethe world would be a less colourful and interesting place, so this surely can only be a good thing.

Since the first Harris Hawks were introduced into the falconry circle just a few decadesago this species really has taken the world by storm, shouldering aside the Goshawk andthe American Red-tail to make a large space for itself in both Irish and worldfalconry. It is by a long stretch the most commonly flown raptor today. Peoplethat could not otherwise have the time to put into a daily hawking regime cannow have a bird that can fit into their lives; with an hour spare here andthere and a morning out at the weekend People that do not have the time totrain and manage the old traditionals like Goshawks and Merlins can nowclassify themselves as falconers and enjoy their time doing it.

The old adage that if you don’t have the time you should not have the hawk, still holds true and always will, but what of these Harris Hawks that are not flown every day like the books tell us they should be?

I personally would be in favour of people flying their birds when they can. Every falconerknows that you get back from your bird what you put into it. Of course if thebird spends ninety per cent of its life tethered to a bow perch with nothingmore to look at than a brick wall, this to me is wrong. If the same bird sitsfree in an aviary until it is weathered and bathed on the lawn, with visualstimulation such as a dog or even the crazy neighbours to keep an eye on, thisis a major improvement. Harris Hawks are intelligent and need mental stimulationeven more so than most raptors, because in the wild they live in family groupsand getting constant stimulation from the other group members is veryimportant.

Harris Hawks do have a reputation for being noisy. There are two reasons for this and bothstem from the fact that they live in groups or packs. Firstly, in the wild theyare constantly calling back and forth to each other to hold the pack together,and holding the pack together is important because as a group they worktogether and if there is game to be caught the chances of catching that prey ismultiplied by being a member of such a group. Each member of the pack has arole to play, some entering cover to flush the prey while others wait on aboveto do the actual catching. Secondly, because the young birds live in a groupthey are able to mentally mature slower than solitary hunters such as Redtailsand Goshawks. They stay with the pack, learning skills and techniques from theolder wiser birds and if they don’t make a kill it’s not the end of the worldfor them as they can still feed from the kills the pack makes. This slowmaturity in the hands of a novice falconer; if he keeps his mentally immatureHarris Hawk hungry for too long, can and in most cases will, lead to him havinga screamer on his hands. And unless you have experienced this first-hand, takemy advice and try to avoid it at all costs.

As I said earlier the more time you spend with your hawk the better she will be. On mykey-ring is the ring from my old male Harris Hawk that I had for over a decade.He came to me after his first owner could stand his incessant squawking nolonger. He came to me and immediately shut up as we hunted nearly every day andlamped pigeons most evenings in the nearby trees when winter kicked in. It isbecause of this bird that my kids lick their lips every time pigeon is on themenu.

There are bad Harris Hawks about. Being so easy to breed and hence so readily available, and the fact that they are often cited as being the ideal beginners hawk, theamount of ruined Harris Hawks about is bound to be high. If they are not takenand handled at the right age, they can be an absolute nightmare to work with. Atotally wild goshawk would not compare to a Harris Hawk that has it in his headthat he does not want to be anywhere near you. So if I can offer some advice tothe potential Harris Hawk keeper (and I do this only because I have made nearlyevery mistake going), let it be this; Firstly, don’t just get one because one is available, prepare and book your bird long in advance and make sure you take her at the proper age. And secondly, even after spending as much time out and about with other Harrishawkers, make sure you have an experienced falconer to hand that can help andguide you through the maze of training your first bird.

This species is very intelligent and so easilytrained in the right hands.

This species is very intelligent and so easilyruined in the wrong hands.

A good Harris Hawk is an absolute joy to spend time with. Because of its different and varied hunting styles it can probably put more game in the bag than most other hawksafter a morning out walking the hills.

I have seen old school traditional falconers, men that would argue against these easy flown hawks, where the mere idea of hunting in a group goes totally against the grain and where the flying of falcons rules supreme. I had heard them putting Harris Hawks down time and time again. But I have watched them sit on a hilltop in Ireland on a breezy day and totally enjoy the spectacle of a dog below them working cover for rabbits while two or more Harris Hawks circled the skies above, diving and stooping down like a bullet to catch its prey or sometimes after every effort has been made and the bunny runsfree, to watch a hawk climb on the rising air again and prepare for the nextchase. Like the two old hecklers in the Muppet Show they had spent yearsshooting down any virtues of these “Mexican Chickens”. But out on that hill,these old falconers had to admit that maybe, just maybe, the Harris might havesomething to offer that is very special indeed.